Police and firefighters are at the scene of a traffic accident on Leeds Road in Harrogate after a car crashed into railings.

The incident happened at about 10am at the roundabout where Leeds Road meets St George’s Road.

Debris from the vehicle was scattered on the road.

An eyewitness told the Stray Ferret there were two police officers and two fire crews attending at 10.30am today.

They added it did not appear anyone had been seriously injured.

We will update this story when more information is available.

Read more:

• Man seriously injured after floor collapses at Harrogate home
• Meet the local man behind a new Turkish restaurant in Harrogate

Ripon Spa Gardens and Park Road, which runs alongside it, were closed this afternoon due to a police incident.

Numerous police, fire and ambulance vehicles were in attendance at the scene.

Police on site would only say “an incident” had taken place.

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Police’s press office for further information but has not had a response.

Emergency services arrived on the scene at Park Street at about 3pm this afternoon. Most were based outside Ripon Spa Hotel, which is closed for refurbishment.

Police cordons were erected at the junction with Old Park Mews, which closed the road to through traffic and forced vehicles to find other routes.

Park Road is closed to through traffic

Cordons were also put up outside Ripon Spa Gardens.

Read more:

• 1,300-home Ripon housing scheme set to be approved
• ‘Inspiring’ new £85,000 vision for Ripon remains unpublished — two years on

A boy was rescued from the River Nidd in Knaresborough in bitterly cold conditions yesterday.

The full circumstances surrounding the incident, which happened just before 4.30pm, remain unclear, as is the condition of the boy, who was taken to hospital by ambulance.

However he is not thought to have suffered serious injuries despite being in such cold water for a period of time.

Police and firefighters joined paramedics at the scene.

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokeswoman said:

“We received an emergency call at 4.18pm on Tuesday afternoon to reports of a teenager who had experienced a medical episode and fallen into the River Nidd at Knaresborough.

“Two ambulances and a rapid response vehicle were dispatched to the scene and one patient was conveyed to Harrogate District Hospital.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Police were contacted by the ambulance service at just before 4.30pm yesterday in relation to reports of a person in the River Nidd at Knaresborough.

“Officers attended the scene to assist the fire service and ambulance crew.

“The patient was conveyed to hospital in the care of the ambulance service.”

Read more:

• Business case to be drawn up for Knaresborough road train
• Burglars steal high-value goods from Knaresborough new build estate

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said it was summoned at 4.24pm to the river near Harrogate Road. The log added:

“Crews from Knaresborough and Harrogate responded to a young male in a river. The young male was rescue from the river and transported to hospital via road ambulance.”

The Stray Ferret was contacted by a member of the public who said local dog walker James Warburton had noticed the danger and rushed to help.

We contacted Mr Warburton, who confirmed he was involved but declined to comment further.

A motorcyclist was airlifted to hospital after suffering serious injuries in a major crash on the A1(M) near Boroughbridge yesterday afternoon.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage following the single-vehicle collision, which happened at around 3.30pm on the northbound carriageway, just south of junction 49.

The rider of a yellow Honda Z125 motorbike, a man in his 40s, came off the bike and was taken to hospital by air ambulance for treatment.

The road was closed between junction 48 (Boroughbridge interchange) and junction 49 (Dishforth interchange) to allow emergency services and the air ambulance to attend the scene. It re-opened at around 6.45pm.

Motorists faced delays of up to an hour.

Any witnesses, or anyone who has dashcam footage of the collision itself, or of the motorcycle involved prior to the collision, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

Email chris.storey@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference 12220144369.

Read more:

• Serious collision causing long delays on A1 at Boroughbridge
• Battlefield trail to be launched in Boroughbridge this month

Harrogate district businesses and other organisations are being encouraged to provide details of defibrillator units on their premises.

The Defibs-Ripon Group, working closely with Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has been at the forefront of installing and raising awareness about the location of defibrillators in the city, but is keen to make the Harrogate district aware of a wider initiative.

Group member Alec Lutton told the Stray Ferret:

“The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has created an online log in site called The Circuit, which provides locations throughout Britain of defibrillators that can be accessed 24/7 by emergency services.

Now, the BHF is looking to expand this, by registering the whereabouts of every defibrillator by including location details for all of the life-saving devices.

Mr Lutton added:

“This will be achieved by including the business names and postcodes for those ‘restricted access’ units on the premises of shops, leisure and hospitality, other businesses and organisations, where the devices are only available for use during working or opening hours.”

“Our contacts at YAS have asked us to encourage all those with such units to support this important initiative.

“There are currently 23 defibrillators in Ripon and the surrounding area that can be accessed 24 hours a day and, as a group, we would also like to add onto our locations list,  the  names and postcodes of Ripon-based businesses and organisations, where there is restricted access.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Hospital handles increase in heat-related illnesses
• Where are Ripon’s defibrillators?

Helping a heart attack victim

A heart attack or cardiac arrest could happen to anyone of any age at any time, day or night and the following advice is offered by defibrillator providers, if an incident arises:

• Start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) straight away, phone 999 and once you give the operator your location, they will tell you where the nearest defibrillator unit is.
• Do not leave the person on their own – send someone else for the defibrillator.
• The person sent for the unit, will be asked by the operator for the code on the front of the cabinet, and then given the code to open it and obtain the defibrillator.
• Each has a built-in voice instruction guide, to help you use it.

A road closure is in place between the cricket club and the junction of Shaw Lane in Beckwithshaw as emergency services and the air ambulance respond to an incident.

The details of the incident are unknown but reports suggest there are multiple police cars, ambulances and an air ambulance near the village hall, opposite the Smiths Arms pub in the village.

Reports suggest the main scene of the incident is near the mini roundabout close to the cricket club, at the northern end of the village. Police at the scene confirmed there was not believed to be any risk to the wider public or the nearby primary school.

Drivers should avoid the area if possible. Officers said they expected the closure to be in place for some time.

We will update you when we get more information. Anyone with further details can email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Read more:

• Ripon’s new councillors to focus on roads, housing and crime
• Chief constable says maximum council tax rise will enable crime prevention